The Bridgeport Hospital Institutional Review Board (IRB) is charged with protecting the rights, safety, and well-being of human subjects involved in research, by reviewing all research conducted at Bridgeport Hospital and its subsidiaries. The IRB is comprised of members with varying backgrounds including representatives from the medical staff, nursing, pharmacy, laboratory, as well as community members. This function of the IRB is federally-mandated and is regulated by the Department of Health and Human Services (45 CFR 46) and the Food and Drug Administration (21 CFR 50 and 56). In addition the IRB is guided by the tenets of the Belmont Report.